Adeyemi's killing intent did not stop growing; it surged like a tidal wave that wanted to crush everything in its path. The very air thickened with that dreadful pressure, gripping the hearts of everyone inside the hall.
Niyi and Philip, who had fought alongside him since the apocalypse began, exchanged a brief glance, their expressions hard. Even they had never seen Adeyemi lose control like this, not when his family didn't survive the apocalypse, not when Akure Kingdom was torn from his grasp.
This was different.
They understood, however. Everything they had encountered since the apocalypse began had been beyond the limits of ordinary human endurance. The only way forward was strength. Strength to reclaim what was his, strength to shatter those who stood in his way. And yet, what Adeyemi saw before him was something that shook even his cold resolve.
He knew humans were selfish. He had always believed that in their hearts, evil lurked. But this went beyond evil, beyond cruelty. Before his eyes, humans had offered their own kind as livestock, as food to the very monsters that threatened to wipe humanity from existence. They hadn't simply betrayed their duty as survivors; they had spat on their humanity altogether.
Adeyemi's aura climbed higher, spilling like an ocean of blood. The suffocating stench of iron filled the room, pressing on lungs and making stomachs churn. His eyes, already red, deepened into a glowing crimson that seemed almost demonic. His steps sounded, heavy and deliberate, each one slamming into the hearts of those who watched. The sound was not merely footsteps; it was like a hammer, striking fear into their souls.
Even Philip and Niyi swallowed hard, their throats dry. Though Adeyemi's killing intent wasn't directed at them, its sheer weight still pressed on them, reminding them why he was different from all others.
"Who is your leader?" Adeyemi's voice rumbled low, carrying his fury beneath its calmness.
Every head turned toward the boss at the center of the room. The two women who had been clinging to his side abandoned him without hesitation, scurrying away like rats. One by one, those who had surrounded him stepped back, leaving him exposed, betraying him without hesitation.
The boss flinched, his lips twitching. He hadn't expected his followers to abandon him so quickly.
Adeyemi did not care. His mind was already made up. His anger had long crossed into madness, into a dangerous calm that wanted nothing less than to erase every last one of these so-called humans who delighted in the suffering of their own kind.
"What do you gain?" Adeyemi asked, his tone heavier than steel. "What benefit do you find in this madness?"
The boss's face twisted. Fear lingered, but pride and resentment burned deeper. He reminded himself that he was no ordinary man. He was a level 7 Ascendant! Why should he bow?
His lips curled into a mocking grin. "So what if you no gree understand?! You think say this world still be like before?!"
He raised his voice, letting his bitterness spill out like venom.
"The old world don rotten! Human rights? Na wash! Na only rich and powerful dey live like kings, dey use poor man wipe ground. Tell me, Prince Adeyemi, no be so?!"
The name cut through the room like a blade. Gasps echoed as everyone turned toward Adeyemi in shock.
Prince Adeyemi. Heir to Akure's throne. The one who was supposed to inherit the kingdom before the apocalypse erased everything.
"So you know me," Adeyemi said softly.
"Of course I sabi you!" the boss shouted, desperation cracking through his voice. "But no dey deceive yourself. Your crown, your title, your palace, everything don die finish. This new world get only one law: na only who strong fit rule! No wealth, no thrones, no titles. ONLY STRENGTH!"
Spit flew from his mouth as he roared, his resentment boiling over.
Adeyemi's expression did not change. His gaze stayed blank and cold. The only reason he still listened was to understand, to grasp how far humans could fall into darkness.
The boss's words grew sharper, his voice hoarse. "Una rich people, una dey always look down on us! Punish us for nothing! Dey waka like say una own the earth. Now you dey ask me reason? Hah! Rich people never sabi wetin suffering be. Na why I go show una how e dey taste!"
Adeyemi's thoughts cut him off. That is not a reason. That is not justification. To feed innocent civilians to monsters? To sell your humanity for petty vengeance? That is nothing but corruption of the soul.
"Niyi. Philip." His cold voice echoed like a death knell.
Both immediately dropped to one knee. "Yes, Your Highness."
"Kill them all. No one leaves alive. Let them drown in the brutality they so enjoyed inflicting on others."
The words left his lips void of emotion, but they carried more weight than thunder.
The crowd froze. It was still three against hundreds. Numbers gave them hope. But the confidence radiating from Adeyemi's group was unshakable, and that confidence shattered their courage.
Niyi and Philip moved. Their level 7 power exploded outward, shaking the walls. Against ordinary Ascendants who relied only on brute stats without refined skill, their movements were like death given form. Yet the mob pressed in, desperation fueling them.
Some women screamed, scrambling to corners, too terrified to fight. Others joined in, swinging weapons with trembling hands. A few men hesitated, but fear of their boss's wrath forced them into the fray.
"RICH PEOPLE NO GO EVER CHANGE!" the boss howled and lunged at Adeyemi. His speed blurred, his fist aimed straight at Adeyemi's face. To others, it was terrifyingly fast.
To Adeyemi, it was nothing.
His crimson eyes glowed brighter. The boss froze mid-strike, body locked.
«SKILL: BLOOD DOMINION»
«LEVEL 2: THE BLOOD OF YOUR ENEMY WILL OBEY YOUR WILL. THE HIGHER THE LEVEL THE STRONGER THE EFFECTS.»
Terror swallowed the boss. He felt his blood stop, muscles refusing to obey.
"Igi! Help me!" he screamed.
Igi abandoned the melee and rushed forward. But as soon as he drew near Adeyemi, his body slowed. His blood thickened, movements dragged down as if invisible chains clamped onto him.
Fear devoured him whole. Without hesitation, he turned to flee. But before he reached the door, his head exploded into a mist of blood. Philip stood behind him, withdrawing his fist, a roguish grin on his lips.
"His Highness said no one leaves. Don't even dream of escaping."
The mob's hearts trembled. None of them even saw how Philip slipped from their encirclement to kill Igi in an instant.
"Niyi," Philip called, his grin widening, "let's wrap this up before more try to run."
"You're right."
Their auras flared in unison. The full pressure of level 7 Ascendants filled the room, crushing weaker foes into despair. The mob, once bolstered by numbers, now found themselves prey. Screams filled the air as Niyi and Philip cut them down, fists and kicks flowing with lethal precision.
The Ascendants tried to resist, but it was futile. Panic broke them, some turned to flee, but death was already waiting.
Niyi and Philip showed no mercy. Even women who stood with the faction were cut down, their blood soaking the floor.
"Don't touch the ones who didn't fight," Adeyemi ordered coldly.
They obeyed instantly. The others, however, fell one by one until it was silent. The floor was littered with corpses, a crimson sea spreading across the floor.
The spared women huddled in corners, pale and trembling. They were alive, but the horror in their eyes would never fade.
The boss remained frozen, sweat pouring down his face.
"Please… don't kill me! I fit do anything! I go even tell you about other factions!" His voice cracked, trembling with terror.
Adeyemi's gaze became colder. "Didn't the civilians you fed to monsters beg for their lives too?"
His calm voice only made the weight of his aura heavier.
"When you choose evil, you must be prepared to suffer it in return."
The boss tried to speak again, but Adeyemi cut him off.
"Don't worry. I won't kill you."
Niyi and Philip stiffened, surprise flashed in their eyes. If their prince wouldn't kill him, then why slaughter the rest? But they dared not ask.
The boss's heart leapt in relief. Hope lit up his eyes.
Then Adeyemi's crimson gaze pierced at him. "There's a skill I haven't tested yet. You'll be my experiment. If you survive, you're free to go. If not…" his tone turned colder, "…then you already know the answer."
The boss trembled violently, but forced himself to nod. "Y...yes, Your Highness."
Adeyemi raised his hand. Blood-red light gathered around his palm, wrapping the boss in a suffocating glow.
«SKILL: BLOOD RECONSTRUCTION»